Sign our petition and help stop the virtual enslavement and abuse of guestworkers.

Dear Friend,

I know you believe in the American ideals of fairness and human dignity, and that you would be appalled at the way tens of thousands of foreign “guestworkers” are being systematically exploited in a government-sanctioned program that many describe as modern-day slavery.

These are the workers, mostly poor Latinos, who are lured here by U.S. businesses with promises of decent jobs only to be cheated out of their wages; forced to live in squalid conditions; and denied medical benefits for injuries. If the workers complain, they face deportation, blacklisting and other forms of retaliation.

“We had no electricity. The first week we were not paid. The second week we were paid $70.” — Mexican H-2B worker

“El patron would put a lock on the gate where our trailers were. After a time, they would not let us communicate with other people.” — Mexican H-2A tomato worker

“I felt like an animal without claws — defenseless. It is the same as slavery.” — Dominican H-2B hotel worker

The exploitation of these workers is one of the most important human rights issues of our time. It says a lot about the state of fairness in our democracy — and about corporate values in our country.

We’ve documented the abuses in a new report — Close to Slavery: Guestworker Programs in the United States — and are filing lawsuits against the most abusive employers.

But there is an ominous cloud on the horizon.

Right now, President Bush and many in Congress are pushing to create a vast new pool of temporary foreign workers. This will only cause more suffering and injustice — and it will undermine the rights and wages of American workers as well.

As a nation, we must fix our broken immigration system. But we must not condone a program that abuses and enslaves poor workers from other countries who are lured under false pretenses.

Congress has the opportunity to right this terrible wrong. But lawmakers will act only if the American people speak out strongly against this moral outrage.

You can make a difference. Please sign our petition to stop guestworker abuse. We’ll make sure the president and the appropriate Members of Congress receive it.

Your commitment to justice and acceptance is so important to us. Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Morris Dees

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